Contrafactum I-III (2018)
for alto saxophone and French horn
12 minutes
Contrafactum: “the substitution of one text for another without substantial change to the music.” (from New Grove Dictionary on Music and Musicians)
Contrafactum refers to the state of consciousness that Milan Kundera describes in Immortality as the “marvelous swinging between wakefulness and sleep.” In Contrafactum one finds oneself in state of drowsiness in an unfamiliar place. Initially, all surrounding objects are barely discernible: one senses only their presence through shadows of tones and faint pulsations. As time progresses, their shape, volume, and texture become increasingly tangible, conjuring memories and a sense of déjà vu. How did we arrive here? Have we been here before? The three movements of Contrafactum propose three different, perhaps counterfactual narratives that answer these questions.
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